Pass it on

27138477

Although our menu for Passover Seder, which begins sundown Monday, has settled in nicely through the years, I like to tweak a recipe from time to time and test it on my family. They enjoy being culinary guinea pigs.

Chicken soup with matzo balls is always on the menu. Mine are light and fluffy because my family prefers them that way. While leafing through "The World of Jewish Cooking: More than 500 Traditional Recipes from Alsace to Yemen" by Gil Marks, I happened upon a recipe for "Khenaghi," Georgian walnut matzo balls. These dumplings can be eaten in soup or topped with "Narsharab," the Georgian pomegranate sauce.

This year I am making a Roman Jewish specialty called "Pesce e Indivia," a fish and chicory casserole. I found the recipe in "The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews" by Edda Servi Machlin.

For dessert, we will feast on "Torta de Re," or King’s Cake, which Machlin says came from a legendary secret recipe by an Italian king’s chef.

Georgian Walnut Matzo Balls ("Khenaghi")

Ingredients:

2 cups of finely ground walnuts
1/2 cup of matzo meal
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large egg whites

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients, except the egg whites, in a large bowl.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into the walnut mixture.

Shape into 1-and-a-half-inch balls using wet hands.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the balls, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Serve warm in chicken soup or at room temperature with pomegranate sauce (recipe at right).

Makes 18 to 24 balls.

Georgian Pomegranate Sauce
("Narsharab")

Ingredients:

2 cups of pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped 
coriander
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Boil the pomegranate juice until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let cool.

Makes 1 cup.

Fish and Chicory casserole ("Pesce e Indivia")

Ingredients:

2 pounds of filet of sole or flounder
2 pounds of chicory, outer leaves 
discarded
3 teaspoons of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup of olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the filets and dry with paper towels. Cut lengthwise into small strips and dry again.

Cut or tear the chicory into small pieces and wash thoroughly. Drain well and dry with paper towels.

Arrange the chicory and fish in alternate layers in a greased baking dish. Season each layer with the salt, pepper, parsley, garlic and oil. Finish with a layer of chicory and seasoning.

Bake for 35 minutes and serve.

Serves six to eight.

King’s Cake 
("Torta de Re")

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of sweet butter or 
margarine
2 tablespoons of matzo meal
5 eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
1-1/4 cups of sugar
2-1/2 cups of blanched almonds, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of pure almond extract
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
Confectioner’s sugar, for sprinkling
Sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease a 10-inch baking dish with the butter or margarine. Sprinkle with the matzo meal. Shake to evenly distribute.

Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff and dry in a small bowl.

In a larger bowl, beat the egg yolks until foamy, then gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is lemon-colored. Gradually add the blanched almonds, extracts and lemon rind and mix until it is a hard paste.

Add 1/3 of the egg-white mixture and mix to soften. Delicately fold in the remaining egg-white mixture and pour into the prepared pan.

Place in the center of the middle oven rack and bake for an hour without opening the oven door.

Leave the oven door ajar for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan and place upside down on a cooling rack. When thoroughly cooled, remove from the pan and place upside down on a serving dish. Using a sifter, top with the confectioner’s sugar and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

Serves 12.